How to Use a Round Brush Without Getting It Tangled in Your Hair

Raise your hand if you’ve heard one of those terrifying stories about a woman having to cut a tangled round brush out of her hair? This tool, which is responsible for some of the prettiest waves ever, is also a source of distress for some. We get it—brushing, curling, and drying hair all at the same time is hard! On the other side, mastering this technique could be the answer to the perfect at-home blowout—and that’s definitely enough to make us learn how to use a round brush. You can start with a few of the tips below.

If you want volume, it’s the perfect tool for you.
You want tendrils? You reach for a curling iron. Straight hair? The straightener is your go-to. But for volume, Celebrity Hairstylist and Founder of the Beachwaver Sarah Potempa tells us the round brush is where it’s at. She also mentions that the shape of the brush adds shine and a bend to the end of the hair by shaping and polishing the cuticle.

Detangle before blow-drying.
While you’re in the shower, Potempa suggests using a wide brush, like the Beachwaver Power Paddle Brush ($25, dillards.com), to detangle your hair. “Always start at the bottom of the hair and work your way up,” she says. “It is recommended to do this with extra conditioner in the shower as to not pull or tug at the hair strand.”

Rough dry before picking up the brush.
If you’re looking to save time, Potempa suggests rough-drying your hair until it’s 80 percent dry and then going in with the round brush to create your blowout and close the cuticles. To begin, Potempa says to section off hair with a darby clip. Before you start blow-drying each section, ensure it’s completely detangled so that you get a smooth finish.

If you’re hair is more than 80 percent dry, you might consider a different hairstyle. According to Glenn Ellis, stylist at Marie Robinson Salon, using a round brush on dry hair may increase your chances of burning or frying your locks.

Grab small sections.
While it may be tempting to pick up as much hair as possible on the brush, doing this this will actually prolong your blow-drying process, explains Ellis. “That’s because it’s extremely difficult to get the heat of the blow dryer to evenly smooth all the hair in one section,” he explains. It’s also one of the biggest causes for your hair getting caught in the brush, Ellis adds! To avoid this, he suggests picking up sections that are no larger than the size of your brush.

Another secret to mastering this technique, Ellis explains, is to “grip your hair with the roundbrush using a little bit of tension.”

Keep your blow-dryer nozzle parallel to the hair.One of the hardest parts about at at-home blowout is juggling all the tools and figuring out how to hold them in your hands, are we right? Potempa say that your blow-dryer’s nozzle should always be parallel to your hair rather than perpendicular, which can cause split ends. She says this will work to polish the hair and close the cuticle.

To create volume, she says to begin by blow-drying the hair up (remember, that nozzle needs to be parallel) and then out and down (again with the nozzle parallel).